‘Gang rape’ after lift

Barasat, Aug. 27: A young mother in North 24-Parganas was allegedly gang-raped last night by three men in North 24-Parganas after she was offered a lift on a cycle by one of them, an acquaintance.

Saiful Mondal, who offered the woman the lift, took her home after the alleged gang rape and asked his mother to serve her dinner. The woman, who is in her mid-twenties and lives with her farmer father and three-year-old son, managed to flee and went to the local police station to lodge a complaint.

The accused trio have been arrested.

A police officer said the woman was returning from her maternal uncle’s home when she was offered the lift by Saiful, who lives in her village.

The woman’s father said she had gone to the local market on her way home and was returning on foot when Saiful approached her.

The woman said: “Saiful offered me a lift and I accepted it as I knew him. I sat on the carrier. He stopped in front of a mango orchard and dragged me into it. He called up two of his friends — Ayub Ali and Naushad Ali Mondal. They arrived within 15 minutes.”

The police said the trio, who are vegetable vendors, allegedly took turns to rape the woman.

The Barasat chief judicial magistrate’s court remanded the three in three days’ police custody.

Besides rape, they have been charged with criminal intimidation as they had allegedly threatened the woman with dire consequences if she reported the incident.